Pets are family. Any animal lover knows that!
It’s why people bring their dogs with them on family vacations instead of putting them in a kennel.
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Or why we spend hundreds on cat trees for our feline friends when, let’s be honest, they prefer a cardboard box.
It’s also why an adorable three-year-old smuggled her pet into school!
We’ve all heard about Bring Your Pet to School Day.
It’s when little kids bring their pets (with their parents and the school’s permission) to show off to their classmates.
But what about smuggling your pet to school day? Lauren Scanlan, a mom of two, learned all about this when she received a call from her daughter’s school in the middle of the day!
Lauren told ‘Today’s Parents’ that she was made aware of her three-year-old daughter, Peyton’s, surprise guest.
“The director (of Peyton’s school) called, wanting to know if I knew that Peyton had brought her fish to school in her sippy cup,” Scanlan said.
“I said no, I had no idea that Peyton had brought her fish in a sippy cup. I was mortified. I didn’t know what to say.”
Later on, she discovered the secret to her daughter’s smuggling ways.
Lauren said that the day started off normally with Peyton feeding their fish called Mermaid.
But when Scanlan ran upstairs to get Peyton’s school clothes, her toddler said, “Don’t come over here.'”
“I asked why, and she said, ‘Just don’t come,'” Scanlan said. “That gets suspicious.”
After noticing fish food on the ground, the mother assumed that her daughter didn’t want her to notice the mess she made.
“I told her it’s OK, that I would clean up, and then I didn’t think anything of it,” she explained.
“Peyton put her water in her backpack and we went to school.”
As she later discovered, Peyton was up to something fishy! She hid Mermaid in her sippy cup!
After the phone call with the principal, Scanlan texted her cousin, Connor Hughes, about Peyton’s shenanigans.
He shared screenshots of their hilarious conversation, which has since gone viral.
“Having recently gotten married, @BrieHughes3 & I have started the discussion on having children,” he wrote. “I received this text message from my cousin today and I’m not sure we’re ready.”
One of the pictures he shared shows a very proud Peyton with her fish in the sippy cup!
And in case you’re wondering, yes, it’s still alive!
In addition to tweeting out the texts and photos, he also texted his wife.
“We were both crying laughing,” Hughes told ‘Today.’
“I don’t know if it’s cured the (baby) fever, but we both realize there’s some preparing we must do. I, too, have a fish tank. You best believe the glass top is getting sealed shut the moment we’re expecting.”
People on Twitter were also loving the viral moment!
“Please stop!!!!!! Im dying!! So grossed out too,” one wrote . “Just became a dad and this is what I have to look forward to Rolling on the floor laughing,” another user commented.
There were some negative comments as well, with people writing that the fish could’ve died.
Parents shared similar stories of their kids hiding odd things.
“Kids are crazy! When my son was 3, his grandma noticed a weird smell coming from her couch. Turns out he put a dozen raw eggs inside the cushion and sat on them because he ‘wanted babies but didn’t have a good nest’ and thought the couch was the next best thing,” one wrote .
By now, you’re probably wondering why Peyton brought Mermaid to school.
Her answer was, “Because I just love Mermaid so much.”
Although this may be sweet, Lauren plans to prevent mishaps like this in the future. She said that she will be checking on the pets before her kids go to school!
H/T: Today
